Mirror
by Ashita no Jiyuu
Summary: Some things never change. Like friendship. InoSaku friendship.


A/N: OK, sorry about the terrible formatting. It just won't work. . The story is divided into two sections, and they were originally defined by either being in italics or not. For some reason, italics aren't working, so it's divided by asterisks. (***) Now that that's out of the way, if you give me ideas for one-shots in your reviews, I may do a few of them.  
I also want to mention that I don't own Naruto. Obviously.  
  
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Something in the box moved.  
  
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It's up in the attic, an old, worn-out wooden box, filled with little reminders of childhood. It has everything you might imagine that sort of box to have-old dolls, storybooks, a little carousel with horses that went 'round and 'round to a little music box song.  
  
I don't really come up here often, because it makes me look at myself.  
  
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I started looking for the box.  
  
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This place is kinda sad for me, but I like it. It's all warm and golden; everything painted in sleepy looking sepia tones and covered with a layer of dust and memories. There's a window seat with a worn out, faded cushion where I used to come with Sakura, and we pretended we were great ninja. That was before she loved Sasuke.  
  
When I learned that she liked Sasuke too, it felt like something inside of me broke a little bit. When I came up here to store the ribbon I gave her, the old mirror in the corner had a little crack running down it. Funny how life is.  
  
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I hadn't opened the box in years.  
  
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I walk over to the window and sit down next to an old book. It is one of those books that has a well-worn leather cover and faded gold lettering along the spine. The type of book that has the very best stories in it, and makes little cracking noises when you open it up. The pages are warm and yellow, and some of them have water rings and stains on them.  
  
We used to read this book a lot. It's about a group of five men who made their lives by fighting, and when they got old, founded villages to teach others what they knew. The first kages. I lean against the wall and start reading.  
  
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I couldn't believe how dirty it looked. I hadn't been taking care of my memories.  
  
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The mirror is covered in dust, so I brush it off with my bare hands. Dust is flying everywhere, but it looks pretty in the sunlight. Almost like it's dancing. But there is dust everywhere in this attic, and it's just dust.  
  
Only dust and memories up here now.  
  
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The box's hinges were rusted, and it wouldn't open.  
  
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The mirror is covered in cracks all over now. From tiny, spider-like splinters running across its surface to a huge crack that makes the mirror look like it's going to fall apart at the slightest touch.  
  
But it's a very strong mirror, and it will never fall apart completely. Sort of like me.  
  
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I started sifting through the contents of the box. A game of jacks, a secret treasure map, and an old hair ribbon that once belonged to my friend.  
  
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I turn from the mirror and start looking for the box. It's been such a long time since I opened it. The box that holds so many memories. I probably should have taken much better care of it.  
  
Dragging the box out from the old wardrobe, I put it on the floor and try to open it. It just figures that the hinges rusted. But I'll get it, because there's something very important in it.  
  
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I took it out and went to look for her, and I didn't wear my mask this time.  
  
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I finally manage to get it open, and there is a lot of stuff in there. All of it's very important, but I decide to look through it later. I wante to find the ribbon I gave Sakura.  
  
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I thought, "It's time for us to be honest, so I can't just hide my feelings anymore."  
  
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I grab the ribbon and go to find Sakura, because she's my best friend. Even though we pretended to hate each other for such a long time, I still want her to be my friend. I can give up Sasuke if it means I can have Sakura back, and I would take Sakura any day out of the week, because Sasuke is like a flower made out of glass. And Sakura is real.  
  
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Some things never change. Like friendship. 


End file.
